Chalayan, SS13, Paris.
The recent collection by Hussein Chalayan for Spring-Summer 2013 featured crisp white tailoring, and vibrant flashes of colour with hints of sporting fabrications. It was above all a refreshing collection, a solid palette cleanser with Chalayan’s usual exquisite attention to detail.
The way that flashes of colour were used in the collection was especially interesting. It seemed that the colours chosen were always very pure bright colours that were only ever diluted through their textile form or the way they were used in layering. For example, while no pastel tones were evident, the neon green was reduced to a pale citrus under a sheer white skirt. The wide sports stripes that echoed the hems of sleeves, were actually lines of broken pattern, so rather than blocks of solid colour there was always a sense of texture. Even the bright tones used as inserts in the hats by Noel Stewart, were not too overpowering as they were made from transparent plastic.
Basically, everything about this collection felt light. From the sheer floating fabrics to the deft use of colour, from the flared silhouettes to the perforated mesh fabrics. You felt that Chalayan had complete control over where you were looking in this collection, using the colours and angles of design details to draw your attention to different parts of the body.
Images from Vogue.co.uk»
